Stop watch



z sheets-sheet 1. J. TIXIER.

STOP WATCH.

(No Model.)

No. 333,792. Patented Jan. 5, 1886.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

'J. T'IXIEB.

v. 7 STOP WATCH. N0. 333,792. Patented Jan. 5, 1886 i UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE. I

JOHN TIXIER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

STOP-WATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 333,792, dated January5,1886.

Application filed July 7, 1885. Serial No. 170,911.

To all whom it may concern.-

' Be it known that I, JOHN TIXIER, of the city and county of SanFrancisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in ments instop-watches; and it consists of a mechanism by which an independenthand may be started or stopped at any point in its circuit and returnedto the original startingpoint, this mechanism being so constructed handsin place.

" and arranged that I am enabled to dispense with a number of the wheelsand springs which are ordinarily used in this class of mech anism.Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanationof my invention, Figure 1 is an enlarged'plan View showing the mechanismfrom the rear. Fig. 2 is a plan View showing the winding mechanism fromthe back with the dial removed and the Fig. 3 is a vertical transversesection showing mechanism of the portion with the hand at 60. Fig.4shows a vertical transverse section of these parts when the roller 0and has a spiral-coiled spring -e within it.

running. Fig. 5 is a similar section showing positions of parts when thehand is stopped.

5 view of the stop mechanism.

i watch and the independent hand, which is I Fig. 6 is an enlarged viewof the parts sepa- I which fits the roller 0, and which is forced intorated which are shown in section in Fig. 3. Figs. 7 and 8 are enlargedviews of the heart and end of bar'N. Fig. 9 is aperspeetive Fig. 10 is asectional View showing the parts illustrated in Figi 6 in position onthe central staff, a.

In the construction of stop-watches the mechanism between the goingparts of the used as a timer, usually consists of a train of gearingwith a device by which it may be thrown into or out of action at will.The friction caused by the running of this extra i mechanism interfereswith the regular running of the watch, (to which the stop mechanism isordinarily connected and the object of my invention is to so reduce theparts as to simplify the construction and reduce the friction to aminimum. In order to do this I employ a central staff which has thetiming-hand I (No model.)

fixed to it, also a heart-shaped cam by which i the hand may be returnedto its ordinary position of starting whenever desired.

The driving mechanism by which the staff and hand are moved is looselymounted upon the staff, and in connection with it I employ a mechanismby which it is caused to drive the staff or be thrown out of action atwill. This mechanism I will now proceed to describe.

A and B are the two plates of the watchheld together by pillars andscrews 0, D, and E. The barrel F gears with the pinion G, and this againwith wheels, and pinion H drives the escape-wheel J.

K is the anchor, and L the balance-wheel,

[these parts not differing materially from those 9 is a wheel and pinionturninglooselyaround the staff and held in place by the roller h.

' 0 is a sleeve or roller turning loosely upon the staff a, one endbeing close to the heart I),

and the other end is close to the pinion g.

d is a-small barrel,which fits loosely around f is adisk,or what I terma barrel-cover,

contact with the end of the pinion g by the action of the spring 6. Itwill be seen that if the spring 6 is removed, or compressed endwise sothat it will not act upon the barrel d and the disk f,all the parts 0,d, f, and g upon I the staff awill turn freely, the heart I) and theroller h being the only parts beside the secondhand which are fixed tothe staff. Under these conditions the wheel and pinion 9 may revolvefreely about the staff a without moving it or the hand which is attachedto it. If, however, the spring 0 be allowed to expand lengthwise, itpresses the end of the barrel (1 against the heart 6, and also pressesthe disk or cover f against the end of the pinion g, thus producing asufficient friction by tightening these parts together, so that thewheel and pinion will act to drive the staff and the timing hand.

W and X are two levers, the inner ends. of which areforked so that thefork of the lever W rests upon the top of the flange shown on barrel d,and the fork of the lever X extends 5 below the disk or barrel-cover f.These two levers are pressed apart by a curved spring, Z, 'so that whennot otherwise actuated they do not press the spring 6 together, butallow it to act upon the barrel d and disk f,.as be-.

1o fore described, pressing them against the heart and the end of thepinion g,and causing suffi-- T is a spring which presses upon the pawlorclick and the lever B.

U is a spring that acts upon a ratchet-wheel. 5, The outer end of thelever-arms W and X extend above and below the teeth P, so that when thiswheel revolves these teeth. pass between the outer ends of these twolevers, as plainly shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. The upperlever, W,has alug or projection, 0,, extending downward from it. The lower lever,X,hasa lugm, which is wider than the lug 0, and theteeth P are beveled, asshown in Figs. 3,4, and 5, so that they are longer upon the bottom. thanupon the top.

N is a lever having one end pivoted nearthe toothed wheel P, and theopposite endis formed with three. points or teeth which press againstthe edge of the heart I), this lever being pressed against the heart bya spring, 0-. This lever N has a lug or projection which exver R, andthe click or pawl Q and ratchet,

a tooth of the wheel P will press upon the.

projection on the lever N and force it outward, so that it will restupon the top of a tooth, thus moving the opposite end of the lever awayfrom the heart, leaving the heart and stall free to rotate. The actionof this device will then be as follows: Starting with the parts in sucha position that the spring 0 is expanded so that all the parts on thestaff a are caused to rotate together by frictional pressure, thecentersecondshand will indicate divisions of time to one-fifth ofasecond. If the pusher S be now pushed inward it acts through the leverB and pawl Q to turn the ratchet-wheel P forward one tooth. This causesthe bottom of one of the teeth Pto press the lever X so that its forkedend will press' on the lower part of the spring e by means of the diskor barrel-coverf, so that the latter is out of contact with the piniong.

acting upon the lever forces its toothed end ;Fig. 4.. By this actionthe forked ends of the levers are separated so as not to press on eitherof the parts d or f, and the spring 6 will press these parts outwardagainst the heart b and the pinion 9, so as tounite all parts onthefstalf and. cause them to act as one.

and center secondshand will immediately commence moving and willcontinue to runv until the movement of the pusher, which was firstdescribed and shown in Fig. 5. By this improve- ,ment I do without anumber of wheels with small teethand also springs, which arenecessary tostopthe movement or play between theteeth ofthe gears andin thepivot-holes. I ob tain more. precision in the hand which shows 2 theseconds, and. less cause for stopping in. the

movement. formed-.inthree points, asbefore described,the tends betweenthe teeth of the wheel P when spring ecould press.

This allows the\pinion to turn loosely upon the'stafl'," and the latterimmediately stops, as shown in Fig. 5. When the pusher'S is pressed thesecond time,the projection n of the forked 7o lever X'willslide along onthe toothed wheel P without changing the position of its lever;

but the projection o' of. the fork W will be brought on top of thetoothed wheel P, so that the opposite or forked end of the leverW willpress the barrel d toward the cover or disk f,

a and the stafi a will then be entirely free. At .7 this moment the lugon thelever n will fall between two of the teeth P, and the spring 8Cagainst the heart I), thus turning it around so as to bring the handback to 60 or the startingforks of the levers W and X will fall betweentwo of the teeth of the wheel P, as shown-in The staff 5 The end of thelever N being middle one corresponds with the central pivot 1 of thestaff, which carries the heart andpresses upon the heart, guiding it,while turning .around-,-asshown-in Fig. 8. Whenthe heart has reached thepoint which brings the hand to its starting-point or 60, the two outsideteeth press upon each side of the head, thus holding it very steady,while the middle tooth I I 5 i is opposite the depression in the head ofthe heart and does not touch it, as shown. in

Fig. 7.

In some cases it may be found advisable to omit the loose roller 0 uponthe staff a, as it isnot indispensable, and the small barrel d and coverf might be replaced by one or two springs or devices against which theThe forks W and X might also be replaced by springs and levers whichwork on the side of the toothed wheel Pin the same manner as thelever N;but these changes are simply mechanical and will be well understood byany one conversant with the art, as they do not essentially altertheaction of my apparatus.

Having .thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a stop-watch, the independent staffhaving the seconds-hand and the returningheart secured to it, thedriving-pinion turning loosely upon it, a longitudinally-expandingspring with collars upon each side which are pressed against theheart,and the drivingpinion so as to set the staff and hand in motion,substantially as herein described.

2. In a stop-watch, the central staff having the seconds-hand and thereturning-heart secured to it, the driving-pinion turning loosely aboutit, a spring acting longitudinally between collars so as to force themin contact respectively with the driving-pinion and the cam, incombination with levers fnlcrumed so that their ends press upon theouter faces of the collars and force them together against the tensionof the spring and out of contact with the pinion and heart,substantially as herein described.

3. In astop-watch, the staff-carrying the independent seconds-hand andreturning-heart having the driving-pinion turning loosely upon it, thelongitudinally-expanding spring, and the collars between which it acts,in combination with levers fulcrumed so that at one end they extendoutside of the collars and at the opposite end they are moved to or fromeach other, substantially as herein described.

4. In a stop-watch, the staff carrying the second-hand andreturning-heart having the driving-pinion turning loosely upon it, the

longitudinally-expanding spring, collars and operating levers W andX,having lugs or projections 0 and n, as shown, in combination with thewheel having the teeth 1?, beveled or inclined so as to pass between thelugs, substantially as herein described.

5. In a stop-watch, the staff carrying the seconds-hand, roller, andreturning-heait having the driving-pinion turning loosely upon it, thelongitudinally-expanding spring, and the friction-collars, the levers,and toothed wheel by which these collars are compressed or allowed toexpand, as shown, in combination with the lever R,disk, andratchet-wheel, substantially as herein described.

6. In a stop-watch, andin combination with the independent seconds-hand,staff, and the heart-shaped returning cam, the lever N,having the endwhich presses upon the cam formed with points and curves to fit thecurves of the heart, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN 'IIXIER.

Witnesses:

HENRY TIXIER, J. H. BLooD.

